Curse Of The Pharaohs
by rachvic
Summary: Resting upon the hexed seat, was a rather odd young man... Without even allowing his actual appearance to sink in, his presence and aura were enough for Yugi to pinpoint that he was most definitely the cause of his sudden lack of clarity. - Yugi becomes aware of a strange presence that appears to be haunting him. Peachshipping to start with, Puzzleshipping later.


_**Author's Note: **Originally this started off as a joke between a friend and I in history class, however it kind of took on a life of its own since I actually got some pretty cool ideas when I began to write it out! I will apologise now for the cliché nature of the whole 'highschool AU' kind of feel this will probably have, however it eventually turned out to be more of a 'what if' kind of AU... Considering the fact that it became something of its own. I will say now that I have never written for Yami before, and so I don't particularly want to just race in and jump into the deep end, and so I would really appreciate it if anybody has any tips when writing for Yami that you could possibly PM me with? That would be a great help, and would mean a lot since, as I said, I'm new to writing for him. I would really like to give this more of a Season 0/Shadow Games feel to it as well, so... Either that, or I'd be willing to open this up into a collaborative fanfiction... It all depends..._

_Anyways, for now, I hope you at least enjoy the first chapter, and don't worry - the 'Peachshipping' is only temporary considering I feel it's important to realise that Yugi did have a romantic interest in Anzu in canon, and this chapter is mainly description, however I do hope you enjoy the first chapter of this!_

_**Disclaimer: **Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi~_

* * *

Yugi's mind seemed to have switched off completely as his now wide eyes skimmed over the paper presented before him. He had gone completely blank, mind not willing to process what was in front of him - it simply could not, the words seeming to blur together into an unintelligible mess that he was unable to decipher. He bit his bottom lip for a moment, almost to a point that he believed he would draw the crimson liquid from them if he were to press down any harder, and beads of perspiration were trailing down his pale forehead.

Why was he so terrified of simply asking for help from the teacher? That was her job, after all, that _was _what she was paid to do...  
Deep inside of himself, Yugi knew _exactly_ why he found himself unable to ask another for help at the current moment, and it was the exact same reason why a dark crimson colour was creeping over his pale face - he was sat next to... _Her. _He did not wish to appear foolish before her, wishing to give her at least the impression that he was somewhat knowledgeable in an area...He had nothing else really going for him, at least history was something, right? It was better than nothing...

Why was he so concerned about whether or not she was impressed by his history skills? To any other individual it would seem merely trivial, a mere foolish fear that came with youth... However - she was more than that, she had always been there for him, and he had always felt this way, and yet found himself unable to pluck up the courage to do anything about emotions that he kept bottled up inside of himself to save himself the embarrassment... After all, he was only just about five feet tall, possessed the roundish face shape that a child bares and held the largest, most innocent amethyst eyes. Why would a girl who was as mature and womanly as Anzu hold any interest in someone such as him? He was far too childish for her, both personality wise and due to his appearance - she deserved more than him, she deserved a young _man_, not a mere child. She shouldn't have to feel embarrassed to be seen with him, ashamed of what she called her boyfriend, after all - people often believed she was his older sister, and sometimes even his baby sitter, therefore the insults and mistakes directed towards them would only grow in number if he were to attempt to take their friendship further... He truly did not want to her to have to consistently face such ridicule for _him_, she deserved more than that, more than him... And yet, he knew that if she did manage to find herself someone that he believed she could truly give her kind heart and gentle soul to, then all he would feel was bitter _envy_, pure _angst_... It was a confliction of opinions and heavy thoughts that he knew would weigh down his shoulders if she did truly fall in love with another, and he most certainly knew that this weight would only, eventually, crush him...

The thought itself did not seem to aid his situation any more so, only seeming to make him feel all the more insecure, and this was not at all proving to be of any assistance to the fact that he was unable to make any sense of the work presented before him... He was supposed to adore this topic, right? He was supposed to be extremely skilled within this particular area due to the fact that it was in his heritage - it ran in his family, even his Grandfather had toiled away in various archaeological digs in the country of Egypt...

He was supposed to know all of this, after all his Grandfather had consistently shared with him truly terrifying tales of curses and spirits that were believed to haunt the lonesome tombs of the 'Valley of the Kings', that brutally punished any mortal who dared to taint the protected lands. After all, the elderly man had devoted a fair amount of his life to his work on Ancient Egypt, and had attempted to allow his grandson to also delve in this vast knowledge... Yugi had been immediately sucked into the intriguing world that was explained to him, his mind near taking him there... He would almost feel the baking heat against his pale skin, almost feel his tiny feet sink slowly into the golden sands below him, almost take in the scent of adventure in its purest form, and on top of everything - he would be able to all but see the simply mystifying sights for himself... The towering pyramids that simply demanded to be paid attention to, for your own eyes to behold their majesty, to take in the marvel that was the gargantuan structures. It was all so mysterious, so captivating, and it seemed to spirit the young man away into a world of his own.

He attempted to recall this process that came to him as a child, and often still came to him on occasion, in an effort to perhaps allow any form of information on this specific topic to come to him, for him to picture what was scribbled upon the paper before him... Nothing. He was met with nothing but the familiar inky blackness that one will always meet one upon closing their eyelids, his mind void of any form of imagery.

He was simply blank again.

He heavily exhaled, gritting his teeth together in frustration... This was so aggravating! He knew this topic like the back of his hand, so why couldn't he grasp any of this?! What could possibly be clouding his thoughts and vision so much that he found himself unable to even begin to possibly fathom what was presented to him?! This was a topic he held extremely close to his very heart, and so why wasn't his heart letting him grasp it again?!... What was so different about this situation that it meant he was unable to recollect anything about the tales and facts his Grandfather had relayed to him? What was possibly out of the place within the room that completely cut the intricate threads that tied together his general knowledge in a tightly knit series?...

In an attempt to find an answer to this odd question, his lilac orbs began to drift over the seemingly dull classroom... Everything was where it should have been... Well, so it would seem, anyway.

The rather promiscuous Miss Chono was sat upon her usual seat at the front of the classroom, her eyes, which were lined with a thick, black eyeliner that was not the least bit subtle, were gazing over something far more important on the flashing screen before her, not paying mind to the students in her classroom - that was normal enough... Anzu certainly was not the problem - even though she made his heart soar, made butterflies batter his insides, made his cheeks burn a brilliant rouge, she had sat beside him many a time at various points in the day, after all they were close friends.

If this was not was the problem, then what was?...

His now drooping eyes once again wandered about his surroundings, attempting to pick up the faintest indication of an oddity within the familiar space... Jonouchi was, as per usual, clearly bored out of his mind of this laborious class, possibly due to the teaching methods of the redheaded, rather callous teacher situated beside the near crystal white board - the only words scribbled upon it, in jet black pen, reading:

'Answer all exam questions from pages 61-63 neatly in your textbook. If you need any help, quietly ask your peers before consulting me.'

Laborious didn't even begin to describe both how exhausting and simply tedious this lesson consistently was - there was literally no life in it whatsoever, and when the teacher was not checking the flickering lights on her computer screen, she would simply be scolding a student for trivial matters that truly did not need to be picked up on, and simply were to give her some form of twisted sense of power.

His eyes continued, furthering their travels towards the back of the room now - Honda was, as expected, once again trying his luck with the rather air-headed young woman with the lilac locks trailing behind her back in a neat ponytail, tied up expertly with a golden bow. She giggled for a moment, about something his ears were not able to pick up due to the combined facts that the pair's voices were barely at a whisper, clearly trying not to deter the young teacher from... Whatever she was doing, and the distance between them was far too great for him to truly hear, accurately anyway. Although, every so often, the occasional giggle or chuckle would escape from the pair, earning a soft, usually somewhat muffled, 'hush' from the other. This, in turn, made Yugi's soft lips curl up into a gentle smile, the sheer joy emitting from the two seeming to lighten the mood somewhat.

Despite this, he soon felt that familiar tension shatter this, a foreign aura that caused a shiver to run down his very spine, his composure to immediately shoot upright, goose bumps to begin to appear upon his pale skin, and the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end as he once again brutally reminded of it...

It was the kind of aura one would only ever truly expect from a mysterious spirit or poltergeist of some kind, however that of course was impossible, logically and scientifically speaking. Yugi had, had to abandon such notions from a young age considering the tales his Grandfather had shared with him, _no... _He had _tried _to abandon such ideas from a young age, and yet the very fears he attempted to lock away in the darkest recesses of his mind, only seemed to feed the dark shadows that often engulfed him in terror in its purest form, drowning him in his nightmares, in anguish...

Anzu soon swivelled her body towards him for a moment upon seeing his sudden change in posture. That certainly did not take long at all... He hadn't expected her to act so quickly, believing his actions had been in his own head for the most part, that he was simply over thinking every miniscule detail due to the heavy tension now weighing down upon both him and his surroundings. She had not noticed his discomfort before, possibly due to the fact that it wasn't as physically prominent as his sudden quivering... It was so strange, most likely due to how suddenly it seemed to overtake him once again.

"Yugi?... Is everything alright?..." Her soft voice was enough alone to bring him back from his hellish daze, to pull him from the tight chains of his inner thoughts that were currently smothering him. That certainly was needed, and it was able to lull him into somewhat of a sense of security as he attempted to compose himself after the hefty tension that had been weighing upon his weak shoulders only moments ago.

Of course, Yugi was not going to tell her of what he had just experienced, of what could be the possible cause of his lack of concentration, as if all knowledge had been drained from his mind in the blink of an eye, not only to save himself from appearing simply insane before the intelligent brunette, but also to ensure she would not have to be concerned for his wellbeing - she had enough on her plate as it was considering all things... She had a rather stressful part time job, that the school could never find out about due to the fact that it was indeed prohibited and would lead to expulsion, her future dancing career and, of course, her own coursework that she needed to pay attention to - combined, this was enough for her as it was, she didn't also need to be concerned for his wellbeing.

"I-It's nothing!... I-I'm just not having a good day..." His voice was delicate, cracking slightly as if it were threatening to break at any given moment, riddled in a sense of innocent cheeriness that he usually carried that was disguising the thick fear that he truly held.

It was instantly clear to anyone that he was lying through his teeth.

She appeared to notice his sudden sheepishness at her simple question, clearly aware that he perhaps needed some time to himself, and as such granted him this, as a friend would... And yet, it remained implanted in her brain, etched into it that something was clearly strange with the short teenager, as a reminder that would not soon fade away. Yugi was the type of person who would not wish to burden others with his problems, even when he truly was not burdening them at all - he was a complete push over in that sense, never wishing to even allow the slightest amount of concern take over his friends for him. He felt that this made him in the way, and a nuisance to others, when truly he was the opposite - he simply was not confident in himself...

As soon as his ears picked up the soft scribbling of Anzu's pen against a clean page in her book, he knew that she had let it go... At least, for now. After all, she was often incredibly stubborn and would never simply forget if one of her friends was acting out of the ordinary in even a trivial way - it was almost as if she knew that something was not right, even if it wasn't always made explicitly clear. However, for now, the girl was at ease to an extent, which allowed him to take another moment to attempt to gather himself.

For the sake of his own sanity, he once again decided to check his surroundings - if all was the same, then perhaps he could just ask the teacher if he could be excused to visit the nurse... Yes... Perhaps he was merely feeling unwell? That would explain this situation - his sudden lack of clarity, the drowsy, heavy feeling that was crushing him... It could very well be related to an illness or ailment of some kind.

He followed through with this, his head swivelling about the classroom again...

The redhead was still sniggering like an idiot over something on her computer screen, Jonouchi was about to fall into a state of sweet unconsciousness, Anzu's chocolate brown eyes were still locked upon her work, and the loving couple at the back of the classroom were still softly giggling to one another, Miho occasionally, playfully slapping Honda's arm, possibly for something he had whispered to her. Everything seemed ordinary, no difference really catching his eye... That was... Until they settled upon the seat at the very back of the classroom.

The seat in question had not been touched for years, possibly due to the fact that many students had insisted upon the fact that it had been cursed. Rumour had it that many years ago, a curious, restless, female student had attempted to contact the dead, after hearing about some ancient ritual they had learnt of after doing research upon the Ancient Egyptian civilisation for a project for Miss Chono, in the very chair... However, supposedly, they had never left the classroom that fateful night... The subject was a known tale between students, however it was taboo. The higher ups and teachers insisting that no such event occurred within the school, and that it was merely a ghost story made up by some past student in an attempt to leave other students petrified to even take a tentative step into the classroom. Students were forbidden to even dwell upon the rumour any more, or even allow the subject to leave their lips at any given time - after all it could very well ruin the school's reputation, and in turn, many careers if it proved to be true, which was highly unlikely anyway, but the fear still remained.

Supposedly, this ritual had taken place within the very classroom he was currently located in, which made sense considering that the ritual and rumour themselves were related to history. However, it could not have taken place at all, logically speaking, after all the idea that the teachers had presented to them was far more believable... Well... Perhaps it was the fact that Yugi did not wish to believe that the event had taken place, perhaps it was due to the fact that he was, once again, attempting to lock away his fears of the occult and the unknown...

That of course, was rather irrelevant, due to the fact that he believed he had found the source of the foreign aura within the room - he had found the culprit, what was different, what was out of the ordinary. Resting upon the hexed seat, was a rather odd young man... Without even allowing his actual appearance to sink in, his presence and aura were enough for Yugi to pinpoint that he was most definitely the cause of his sudden lack of clarity. He was enigmatic, as mysterious and haunting as the thick mist that clouds an area on a freezing Winter's day, covering it in a blurry shroud that gave the impression that even the most innocent of areas, such as a playground, was terrifying, possibly due to the uncertainty of what was skulking within the mist...

As Yugi actually began to take in his appearance, it soon struck him as to why he had affected him, not just for the fearful apprehension that engulfed Yugi upon taking in the foreboding presence. Gazing at the young man was almost as if he was staring at his own reflection within a gargantuan mirror - he was the spitting image of him, to a certain extent at least. As he began to take in the boy's features, it was clear there were indeed some noticeable differences... For example: the boy's piercing eyes were a haunting crimson red, however they were indeed focused upon the textbook and papers neatly compiled on his desk, and the boy appeared to be perhaps older than him, or merely more mature in his appearance - his face was less rounded, sharper, and his body was more slender: clearly more nimble than the short teenager gazing over at him.

This alone was immediately enough for Yugi's curiosity to be sparked, and yet the uneasy anxiety of the unknown and the boy's mysterious presence, still loomed over him. Due to this anxiety, he simply decided upon the fact that he would first consult Anzu before actually acting upon anything - after all, it may very well have been a mere trick of his eyes that came with an illness of some form.

He proceeded to lightly tap the young woman, in a feeble attempt to catch her attention, however her soft, coffee brown eyes swiftly turned their attention to him, almost as if she anticipated him to ask her something. "What's up, Yugi?" Her voice was barely a whisper, in a similar fashion to the still giggling couple at the back of the classroom, however Yugi was at least glad that their conversation would not be overheard by their peers due to this quietness.

"...U-Uh... Anzu... Is there a new student in our history class?... I-I mean... I just turned around, and I saw... Someone I knew I hadn't seen before sitting at the chair in the corner at the back of the c-classroom..." Yugi attempted to explain the sight he had just witnessed to her, feeling rather foolish as he did so, twiddling his thumbs awkwardly, his amethyst eyes locked upon said twiddling thumbs. He knew that she probably found him to appear rather childish, perhaps due to the fact that if he did indeed actually see someone, that they were the reason for his sudden skittishness... 'Why would a mere boy cause him to become so on edge?' - he was sure that would the question racing through Anzu's mind as she studied him with the gaze that a concerned mother would use when their young son was speaking of their fear of the non-existent monster beneath their bed. She raised a dark eyebrow, before turning her own head towards the back of the classroom...

Her dark eyes studied the room for a moment, before her chocolate orbs rested back upon his lilac ones. "Yugi, are you feeling alright?..."

That _wasn't_ good. That _couldn't _be good. That alone was enough to indicate to Yugi that he either had not chosen the correct way to form his explanation, or that the young man had indeed been a trick of his eyes, of his wild imagination that was currently preferring to create images of mysterious figures, rather than something that would actually aid him in finishing this work...

"U-Uh yeah... I'm fine! W-Why?..." He was stammering, his face a brilliant crimson still as he attempted to compose himself after royally embarrassing himself in front of the very young woman that he always wanted to have at least some form of respect for him. His hands were defensively raised, and his eyelids had snapped shut, his mouth forming a goofy smile as if to further back up his point. This, of course, only made him appear all the more suspicious and completely out of it, earning a deep sigh, harbouring an emotion he found himself unable to currently pick out, from Anzu.

"Yugi... There's no one there. You know fully no one will ever sit in that seat..." Anzu softly uttered to him, her voice even more hushed due to the subject that she had just grazed over, earning a solemn nod from the short teenager beside her.

He once again turned his head to the back of the class, understanding exactly why Anzu had been so concerned for him... There was nothing there, the boy was gone, and yet the weight still remained upon his shoulders... Perhaps he was right - perhaps he just been ill, and that illness had caused him to imagine up sights that were not actually there at all, that were simple figments of his twisted fears, a personification of his apprehension, perhaps? That would, of course, make sense... "Y-Yeah... Well... I think I'm j-just a tad sick... I-I'll ask if I can visit the nurse..." His soft voice trailed off somewhat as he began to rise from his seat, rather ungracefully considering the boy nearly tripped up over his own two feet, earning a soft giggle from his peers...

Something was definitely strange about him on that day, and yet Anzu found herself unable to pinpoint exactly what it was - after all, it was clear that he was more than simply ill if he had imagined a strange figure at the back of the room...


End file.
